RXTE Observations of LMC X-1 and LMC X-3

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https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9810077

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https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.astro-ph/9810077
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/30125

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UMBC Center for Space Sciences and Technology (CSST) / Center for Research and Exploration in Space Sciences & Technology II (CRSST II)
UMBC Physics Department

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4656-6881

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1998-10-06

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journal articles
preprints
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Abstract

Of all known persistent stellar-mass black hole candidates, only LMC X-1 and LMC X-3 consistently show spectra that are dominated by a soft, thermal component. We present results from long (170ksec) Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of LMC X-1 and LMC X-3 made in 1996 December. The spectra can be described by a multicolor disk blackbody plus an additional high-energy power-law. Even though the spectra are very soft (Gamma is about 2.5), RXTE detected a significant signal from LMC X-3 up to energies of 50keV, the hardest energy at which the object was ever detected. Focusing on LMC X-3, we present results from the first year of an ongoing monitoring campaign with RXTE which started in 1997 January. We show that the appearance of the object changes considerably over its ~200d long cycle. This variability can either be explained by periodic changes in the mass transfer rate or by a precessing accretion disk analogous to Her X-1.